2012: The Year of the PMO

 

If this week is any indication, 2012 is shaping up to be the Year of the PMO.

A recent survey from project management firm PM Solutions found that PMOs are becoming more influential and entrenched than ever. The “State of the PMO 2012” survey reached out to more than 500 project managers across a number of industries and saw that, in general, PMOs are playing a significantly larger role in strategic functions, putting greater visibility (and greater pressures) on their success. PM Solutions noted that over the last 12 years the number of organizations with a PMO grew by 40 percent – from 47 percent in 2000 to 87 percent in 2012.

Ultimately, this survey reinforces what Daptiv is hearing from our customers – PMOs have become a trusted advisor in the enterprise and must lead the way to enable intelligent investments and cost optimization. They’re making good traction, according to the survey:

• 30% decrease in failed projects
• 25% of projects delivered under budget
• 22% improvement in productivity
• 19% of projects delivered ahead of schedule
• 31% increase in customer satisfaction
• 29% improvement in projects aligned with business objectives
• Cost savings of US$411K per project.

It’s increasingly important for PMO leaders to partner with and provide C-Level executives with the right project intake process to pick investments that will align with this strategic imperative.Indeed, the survey found that PMOs are moving up within many organizations – with 66 percent of PMOs surveyed reporting to an EVP or higher.

Last November, Daptiv forecast that in 2012, organizations would take a more holistic view of their business by using PPM tools to manage end-to-end service portfolios, product delivery, application lifecycle management, and change management programs. Again the PM Solutions survey found that those PMOs managing what were perceived as high-value tasks such as portfolio management were given increased responsibility and viewed as being significant contributors in spearheading significant new initiatives.

We’re only one quarter into 2012, but the stakes are clearly being raised for PMOs to continue delivering in terms of supporting both strategic business goals and the bottom line. The role of the PMO has become more critical than ever – how has your PMO evolved over the past year?